1. Field
This invention relates in general to body exercise devices and more particularly to a compact and portable leg exercise apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Our fast paced world has made it difficult for people to obtain enough physical exercise. Additionally, long work hours or commute time, or other demands on a person's time (e.g., on family matters), make it hard for individuals to find time to exercise. Those who sit for long periods of time (e.g., office workers, travelers on airplanes, buses, etc.) are at a risk of developing blood clots in major blood vessels. To efficiently use available exercise time, it is highly desirable to provide an exercise device that is small, compact and easy to use.
Existing leg exercise devices are either too big (e.g., those found in professional gyms) so that they are not easily portable, too bulky so that they cannot easily be carried (e.g., in a carryon luggage, large purse or bag, hand carried), noisy when used, require additional equipment (e.g., batteries, motors), or are too complicated (e.g., large stair master machines) thereby making their use impractical (e.g., for older individual) or restricting where the devices can be used.
Accordingly, there is a need for a compact and portable leg exercise device that can easily be stored in carryon luggage, backpack, or large purse, or hand-carried so that it can be used when desired (e.g., at work while sitting at a desk, while traveling on an airplane, bus, car) and that addresses one or more of the deficiencies noted above with existing leg exercise devices.